The solo debut of a K-pop group’s member has always received a lot of attention from netizens, showing that these idols receive a lot of attention from both the management company and the fans.
The Korean music industry is known for the birth of many impressive groups. In each group, members take on different roles. However, at a certain time, the management company will choose the most suitable member to give them a solo debut. It is not only an opportunity for the idol to shine, but also comes with pressure because they are seen as the one who “paves the way” for other members of their group.
Nayeon (TWICE)
At noon on June 24, 2022, Nayeon’s first mini album was officially released. The album is called “IM NAYEON”, marking a new milestone for her as a solo artist after nearly 7 years of working with TWICE. The MV for the title song “POP” was also officially released and quickly reached 1 million views after only 19 minutes of release on YouTube.
Previously, Korean media reported that Nayeon officially became a female solo artist with the highest number of album pre-orders in 2022 with more than 500,000 copies. During the first period of the promotion, people were disappointed when Nayeon repeatedly missed the winning on weekend music shows. Until July 10, the female idol got her first win on Inkigayo against IVE and Sunmi.
Jennie (BLACKPINK)
Jennie officially made her solo debut in 2018, which means that after only 2 years of her debut with BLACKPINK, this step has brought a series of remarkable achievements in Jennie’s career. Accordingly, after 24 hours of release, Jennie’s debut MV “SOLO” reached 14.6 million views and 1.8 million likes on YouTube.
Besides, she also achieved a series of digital music chart achievements. The female idol topped 6 major music charts in Korea, namely Melon, Genie, Bugs, Mnet, Naver, and Soribada to win the All-kill achievement after only 2 hours of the MV’s release. With “SOLO”, Jennie became the first K-pop female artist to reach No.1 on the Worldwide iTunes Song Chart, an achievement that any solo artist dreams of.
Mino (WINNER)
After working with WINNER for 4 years, Mino was officially announced by YG to have a solo debut project. In 2018, the male idol released the album XX with the title song Fiance. After its release, the song quickly climbed to the top of iChart’s 6 biggest Korean music sites real-time chart including: Melon, Genie, Mnet, Bugs, Naver, and Soribada. Besides, his album XX has sold 36,476 copies. With these series of achievements, Mino’s solo debut music product is considered to be more successful than expected.
Wendy (Red Velvet)
After a long break due to a serious injury, Wendy marked her return with an album in April 2021. In particular, she is the first member of Red Velvet to debut as a soloist after 7 years. About 16 hours after its release, Wendy’s debut product sold a total of 68,225 copies.
In addition, the title song “Like Water” also topped iTunes in 30 countries and regions. At the same time, the product debuted at No. 1 on the global iTunes Album chart. This is considered one of Wendy’s successes in her music career.
Baekhyun (EXO)
As the first member to debut solo after more than 6 years of working with EXO, Baekhyun did not disappoint fans. Accordingly, the male singer released his first album titled “City Lights”, including the title song “UN Village”.
On the first day of sale, City Lights sold 267,175 copies on Hanteo. In addition, the album also ranked first on iTunes album charts in 66 countries and territories. The title song “UN Village” also topped iTunes song charts in 10 countries around the world.
